NEA Monthly News Bulletin - February 2013

New at the NEA

Just published: Japan's Compensation System for Nuclear Damage

The NEA, in close co-operation with the Permanent Delegation of Japan to the OECD, has issued a new publication entitled Japan's Compensation System for Nuclear Damage as Related to the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident. This publication provides English translations of key Japanese legislative and administrative texts and other implementing guidance, as well as several commentaries by Japanese experts in the field of third party nuclear liability. The material presented in the publication should provide valuable insights for those wishing to better understand the regime applied to compensate the victims of the accident and for those working on potential improvements in national regimes and the international framework for third party nuclear liability. Read the publication online.

Nuclear safety and regulation

NEA launches activity on fast running software tools

On 30-31 January, the NEA launched an international benchmarking project on fast running software tools, used to model fission product releases during accidents at nuclear power plants. The initiative is a joint activity of the NEA Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) Working Group on Analysis and Management of Accidents (WGAMA) and the NEA Committee on Radiation Protection and Public Health (CRPPH) Working Party on Nuclear Emergency Matters (WPNEM). Twelve countries comprising Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, the Republic of Korea, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Sweden and the United States are participating in the project. During the kick-off meeting, participants agreed on a work plan and road map to finalise the joint activity report, which is expected to be issued in 2015 after the approval of both the CSNI and the CRPPH.

Medical radioisotopes

NEA group focuses on medical radioisotope policy

On 30-31 January, the NEA High-level Group on the Security of Supply of Medical Radioisotopes (HLG-MR) met in Paris to report on actions taken to implement the HLG-MR policy principles and to give updates on new infrastructure projects in the group's member countries. Presentations were made on outage reserve capacity, a vital component in ensuring the security of supply of medical isotopes, and self-assessment by the global supply chain. The HLG-MR discussed outstanding issues that prevent the market from achieving long-term security of supply and debated ways in which these issues could be resolved, with a particular focus on implementing full-cost recovery and conversion to the use of low-enriched uranium targets for isotope production. More information on the HLG-MR is online.